The guard on duty in front of the Guard Station broke into a delighted expression as Rei and his party approached.
...The main reason for that delight was probably the chance to see Set relaxing, but even knowing that, Rei was still glad to be welcomed with a smile.
"I'm going inside, if that's alright."
"Yeah, no problem. We've received the written orders too. ...But sorry, Set can't come inside the station."
"I know that without you telling me. Set."
"Grru."
Even at his current size, there was no doubt that Set could enter the station if he wanted to. But it was equally true that he would barely be able to move once inside, and with that in mind, Rei could only nod at the guard's words.
The entrance of the Guard Station was built wide precisely because there were times when various races or objects needed to be brought inside or carried in.
Watching Set move away and sprawl on the ground to enjoy the spring sunshine, Rei grabbed Givnan's arm and entered the station with Vihera and Byune.
Some of the guards inside seemed to have mixed feelings upon seeing Rei and his party, but they cleared the path without a word.
It was Rei and his party who had captured the assassin Keena, and it was also Rei and his party who had brought the documents ordering her release... or more accurately, her transfer to the Prairie Wolves.
Thinking about it that way, the guards had been of almost no use at all. It was only natural that some of them would lament their own inadequacy.
There were also a few who felt dissatisfied, thinking Rei's group had meddled unnecessarily, but the overwhelming majority of the guards—despite their complicated feelings—were actually grateful to them.
"...So? Where am I going?"
"Just a bit further."
"Wait."
Before Rei could say anything to Givnan, Vihera interjected. She flashed a smile at Rei's puzzled look, then called out to a nearby guard.
"Hey, got a second? I'd like a few people to change into plainclothes and come with us."
"...Huh? What are you talking about?"
Given Vihera's outfit, there might have been people who, under normal circumstances, would have wondered if they were being hit on. But whether fortunately... or unfortunately, in the current situation, none of the guards were capable of thinking that.
"See, we're about to take him downstairs, but to properly prove that it's Givnan, it'd be better to line up a few other men alongside him."
"...I see."
The guard seemed to understand what Vihera was getting at. He immediately selected a few men around Givnan's age and ordered them to change into plainclothes and accompany Rei's party.
Watching this exchange from a slight distance, Rei was reminded of a TV program from his time in Japan that occasionally featured similar police lineup segments.
(So does that mean Vihera's idea is like the Japanese police? ...It doesn't suit her at all.)
Vihera—who looked like nothing but a Dancer or one of the Prostitutes—playing police? Rei suppressed a laugh, and—
"Oh my, Rei. Did something funny happen?"
As if reading his mind, Vihera asked him. And with her face plastered in a full smile, the intimidation factor only increased.
"No, it's nothing. I was just thinking about something."
"Hmm. ...Well, I suppose we can leave it at that for now. Though you should probably have a proper talk with Marina and Elena later."
Beside the two of them as they exchanged words, Byune quietly averted her gaze, trying not to pay attention to them.
During what could only be called a lovers' quarrel, the plainclothes guards eventually appeared.
"Alright, shall we go?"
Rei nodded at Vihera's words and headed straight for the cells.
Givnan, held by the arm by Rei with no chance of escape, felt as though he was marching toward his own absolute ruin. The only reason he didn't consider running was because he had been told it would affect Precious.
Otherwise, he might have actually tried to cut off his own arm or something to flee. ...Whether he could have actually escaped that way was another matter entirely.
Leading Givnan, they headed underground... down the stairs leading to the cells, and soon arrived at their destination.
The moment he stepped into the cell room, Rei sensed something and reacted, but quickly determined that whatever it was held no hostility toward him and let his guard down. Vihera had also sensed the same thing, and she too quickly relaxed.
"Oh my, welcome back. That was quite fast. I thought it would take a bit longer."
The one who approached Rei and his party with those words was, naturally, Marina, who had been entrusted with guarding this place.
Despite being in an underground cell—a place that by no means suited Marina... or rather, perhaps precisely because of that—the smile on her face exuded an overwhelmingly intense feminine allure.
When the guards who saw Marina each turned red in the face, and even Givnan—who was at the peak of tension—froze in his tracks, it was clear just how powerful the charm Marina radiated was.
Many would have readily believed it was not merely a smile, but one infused with Charm Magic.
However, for Rei, who had spent much of the winter alongside Marina, it was fortunate... and for Marina, it was extremely unfortunate, that her charm had no effect on him.
"Yeah. The negotiations over there went smoothly. Thanks to that, we were able to come here."
After replying to Marina, Rei shifted his gaze to Keena in the cell.
Keena, who had been spellbound by Marina's smile, realized she was being looked at by Rei. Though she didn't let it show on her face, she tensed up inside.
Watching Keena's reaction, Rei took another glance around the cell.
Since it was only the beginning of spring, the interior of the cell should have been cool... or rather, chilly. But the cell's temperature was now about the same as outside, making it quite comfortable.
(Most likely... no, Marina definitely did something with her Spirit Magic. What I felt when I came in here was probably Marina's Spirit Magic too.)
Rei was the one who had entrusted Keena's guard duty to Marina, so there was nothing strange about it. He felt a twinge of envy at the convenience of Spirit Magic, but that was all.
(Spirits have a certain degree of their own will, so Spirit Magic is highly versatile. ...It's different from the kind of magic I use.)
Of course, that was also why it was known as an extremely difficult magic, and those with a talent for Spirit Magic were rare. Furthermore, the fact that spirits had their own will meant that if one tried to use magic that went against the spirit's wishes, it might not even activate.
Rei, who had learned at least a little about Spirit Magic from Marina over the winter, thought about this as he opened his mouth.
"Anyway, we've finally made it here. Shall we get started?"
What they were starting, everyone understood without him saying it out loud. After all, that was the very reason they had brought Givnan here.
Naturally, to avoid treating Givnan as special, Rei had released his grip on Givnan's arm before entering the cell room.
Givnan had already understood—no, from the moment he saw Keena in the cell—why he had been brought here.
(Why is she alive?!)
Trembling violently, Givnan screamed without a voice. Of course Givnan knew what kind of person Keena was. He was the one who had placed the request, so that was obvious.
He finally understood completely why he had been brought here. And the look in his eyes as he regarded Rei turned severe.
Originally, the reason Givnan had come along quietly was because Precious had effectively been taken hostage. And the fact that he was told it wouldn't be a bad thing for Precious had been a major factor. And yet, here was Keena, right in front of him.
If he was caught, it would naturally cause trouble for Precious.
(I can't let that happen... but what do I do?!)
He had originally placed the request with Keena at Precious's behest, but Givnan had no intention of blaming Precious for that. Rather, he was desperately trying to figure out how to get out of this situation.
(Escaping... is impossible.)
Rei, who had been talking with Marina moments ago, was now standing in front of the cell door. Givnan had worked as an adventurer since leaving the orphanage, but even so... or rather, precisely because of that, he understood the gap in strength between himself and Rei.
Let alone the killing intent that had been slammed down on him at the inn—it was fair to say Rei's power had been carved into the very depths of his soul.
(It's not like his only outstanding skill is emitting killing intent, and his actual combat strength is unremarkable... no, that's definitely not the case.)
Considering the existence of Set, he thought for a moment that it might be a possibility, but Rei's alias—Crimson—was of course known to Givnan as well. He was not so arrogant as to think he could defeat an Alias Holder.
While Givnan was still wavering on what to do, things proceeded. Givnan and the plainclothes guards were lined up in front of the cell.
If he caused a scene here, it was certain that everyone would know he was involved in this matter. Given that, the only thing Givnan could do was pray that Keena would stay loyal and claim she didn't know him.
Givnan directed a gaze filled with that will toward Keena—please pretend you don't know me.
Receiving that gaze, Keena gave a faint nod... or so it looked to Givnan. It may have simply been a scene conjured by his own desires. But it was also true that Givnan needed to cling to that hope right now.
Please do something. Please let this work out. While Givnan harbored those thoughts, Marina opened her mouth.
...Incidentally, the reason Rei didn't speak here was likely because of how aggressively he had confronted Keena before. Indeed, a fear of Rei had been carved into Keena's heart, and though she didn't let it show on her face, she was under considerable pressure even in this situation.
The reason she was somehow enduring it was because if she couldn't overcome this, she wouldn't be able to join Gilm's Intelligence Unit, and she would have to face her punishment. And for someone who had operated as an assassin, the punishment she would receive—even execution—would be considered lenient.
Thinking of that, she absolutely could not afford to fail here.
In front of Keena, who swallowed nervously, Marina spoke.
"Among the six men standing there, the one who requested your assassination job is here, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is."
"Could you point out who it is?"
"...The second one from the right. That man."
With those words, Keena pointed with a finger that trembled slightly from tension at—naturally—Givnan.
"!? You—!"
The moment his only hope was shattered, Givnan shouted, his rage laid bare. The faint hope he had harbored vanished in an instant. And it was now certain that his own mistake would bring trouble down on Precious as well.
(Damn it, if only I had asked someone else and had that person place the request!)
He thought this, but since Givnan was not originally from Gilm, he had no connections. Naturally, he couldn't rely on the Guild either, and while he could have tried requesting an adventurer directly, there was a risk that if he made a request and was turned down, information would leak from that source.
His only lifeline, Sleyn, had already pulled out once he learned that Rei was directly involved... and had even left Gilm with his men.
...Incidentally, the Slum District territory that Sleyn had controlled had become a vacuum after his departure, and the underworld organizations were now waging a turf war over that empty territory... but that was of no concern to Rei and his party.
At any rate, for those reasons, Givnan had no one he could trust not to betray him. That was why he had no choice but to find Keena, whom he had heard about from Sleyn, and place the request himself... and that had completely backfired.
Givnan, driven by rage, tried to charge toward the cell, but the guards—having anticipated this outcome—had Givnan pinned down in the next moment.
They were, after all, guards working in Gilm, a city with a large adventurer population. Subduing an adventurer... especially one who was seeing red... was not a particularly difficult task for them.